The Promise of EU Democracy
Reconnecting European Citizens?
Will be published approx. on 30. April 2026
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-0-19-889119-2 (ISBN)
Description
European integration has been built on the promise of democracy. Not only should the Member States be founded on democratic principles, but the Union itself should extend these principles to the supranational level, thereby fostering democratic relations between the Member States and their citizens. While the European Union prides itself on the democratic character of its Member States and has adopted many institutional reforms to this end, deep divides persist between the different Member States.
The Promise of EU Democracy: Reconnecting European Citizens? brings together legal scholars, political scientists, and historians to offer a comprehensive assessment of the EU's capacity to forge democracy across borders. It identifies where this potential remains unfulfilled and explores key policy domains, including migration, trade, fiscal and macroeconomic governance, and the Covid-19 pandemic, to evaluate how far the Union has moved towards, or away from, its democratic aspirations
Thought-provoking and timely, this volume offers a new conceptual angle to understand the EU's democratic project. In an era of growing contestation both within and outside the Union, this book offers a compelling reflection on the relevance and resilience of democracy in Europe today.
The Promise of EU Democracy: Reconnecting European Citizens? brings together legal scholars, political scientists, and historians to offer a comprehensive assessment of the EU's capacity to forge democracy across borders. It identifies where this potential remains unfulfilled and explores key policy domains, including migration, trade, fiscal and macroeconomic governance, and the Covid-19 pandemic, to evaluate how far the Union has moved towards, or away from, its democratic aspirations
Thought-provoking and timely, this volume offers a new conceptual angle to understand the EU's democratic project. In an era of growing contestation both within and outside the Union, this book offers a compelling reflection on the relevance and resilience of democracy in Europe today.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
757 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-889119-2 (9780198891192)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Jan Wouters is Full Professor of International Law and International Organizations, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam EU and Global Governance, and founding Director of the Institute for International Law and of the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies at KU Leuven.
Julie Smith is Professor of European Politics at Cambridge University and Fellow in Politics of Robinson College, Cambridge. Her research focuses on the history and politics of the European Union, especially democracy in Europe and the UK's relations with the EU.
Kolja Raube is Associate Professor in European Governance and EU External Action at the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven, Belgium. He is Director of the Joint Bachelor of European Studies and co-editor of the series Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics.
Ben Crum is Professor of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). He researches the ways in which democratic institutions respond to contemporary challenges like internationalization, socio-economic inequalities, and digitalization.
Julie Smith is Professor of European Politics at Cambridge University and Fellow in Politics of Robinson College, Cambridge. Her research focuses on the history and politics of the European Union, especially democracy in Europe and the UK's relations with the EU.
Kolja Raube is Associate Professor in European Governance and EU External Action at the Faculty of Social Sciences at KU Leuven, Belgium. He is Director of the Joint Bachelor of European Studies and co-editor of the series Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics.
Ben Crum is Professor of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). He researches the ways in which democratic institutions respond to contemporary challenges like internationalization, socio-economic inequalities, and digitalization.
Volume editor
Jean Monnet Chair ad personam and Full Professor of International Law and International OrganizationsJean Monnet Chair ad personam and Full Professor of International Law and International Organizations, KU Leuven
Professor of European PoliticsProfessor of European Politics, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Cambridge
Associate Professor of European Governance and EU External ActionAssociate Professor of European Governance and EU External Action, KU Leuven
Professor of Political ScienceProfessor of Political Science, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Content
- 1: Jan Wouters, Julie Smith, Kolja Raube, and Ben Crum: A Promise of EU Democracy? Introductory Remarks
- PART I. THE PROMISE AND FOUNDATIONS OF EU DEMOCRACY
- 2: Ben Crum: The Promise of EU Democracy-Integration Versus Democracy in the Post-Lisbon Era
- 3: Alvaro Oleart and Tom Theuns: The Promises and Pitfalls of EU 'Democracy Promotion' in the International Arena: a decolonial perspective
- 4: Lise Rye and Cristina Fasone: Ideas of EU Democracy Across Time and Space: The Contributions of the Commission and the Court of Justice
- 5: Anna Gora and Pieter de Wilde: The National Foundations of Europe's Promised Democracy
- PART II. THE PROMISE OF EU DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATIC MECHANISMS: CONNECTING WITH EUROPEAN CITIZENS?
- 6: Julien Navarro and Camille Kelbel: Why Do Voters Choose Badly? An Investigation of Citizen-Based Factors Explaining the Mass-Elite Preference Gap in European Parliament Elections
- 7: Jan Wouters: Towards a Genuine European Political Space? Revisiting the Legal Architecture of European Parliament Elections
- 8: Ben Crum and Alvaro Oleart: Democratizing the Politicization of the EU: Channelling pluralism through new arenas
- 9: Sylvia Kritzinger, Julia Partheymüller, Valentin Voith, and Carolina Plescia: Who is Misinformed About the EU?
- 10: Oliver Treib, Constantin Schäfer, and Bernd Schlipphak: The Sweet Spot of EU Reform: How to Improve Citizens' Perceptions of EU Legitimacy
- 11: Alvaro Oleart: Citizen Participation without Democratization in the EU: From the European Citizens' Initiative to the Conference on the Future of Europe
- PART III. EU POLICIES AND THE PROMISE OF DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE
- 12: Viljam Engström and Katri Gadd: Migration as a Challenge of Constitutional Democracy
- 13: Alex Andrione-Moylan: Revisiting TTIP and CETA: Claim-making and Legitimacy in the EU
- 14: Carlos Closa, Felipe González De León, and Gisela Hernández: The Institutional Architecture Behind the EU Macroeconomic and Fiscal Governance and its Impact on Accountability and Democratic Legitimacy
- 15: Julie Smith and Naman Karl-Thomas Habtom: Democratic Legitimacy and Covid-19 Responses